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The differences between fraud prevention specialists and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $37,798 average annual salary of a fraud prevention specialist.
The top three skills for a fraud prevention specialist include fraud prevention, outbound calls and customer service. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Fraud Prevention Specialist | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $37,798 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $18.17 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 33,725 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 49 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A fraud prevention specialist is in charge of reviewing and monitoring business transactions to ensure accuracy and thwart off fraudulent activities. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or industry of employment, it typically includes gathering and analyzing data, performing research and analyses, conducting audits and assessments, and utilizing various tools and programs. Moreover, a fraud prevention specialist must develop guidelines and conduct investigations on incidents to prevent them from happening again, all while enforcing the company's security policies and regulations.
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
Fraud prevention specialists and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fraud Prevention Specialist | Detective | |
| Average salary | $37,798 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $61,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cerritos, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Apple | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a fraud prevention specialist and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Fraud Prevention Specialist | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between fraud prevention specialists' and detectives' demographics:
| Fraud Prevention Specialist | Detective | |
| Average age | 49 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 1.2% White, 71.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 9% |